Abstract
THE literature on the placenta of the raccoon (Procyon lotor L.) is extremely sparse and, to the best of our knowledge, placentation in this carnivore is mentioned only by Watson1, Rau2, Mossman3 and Amoroso4. The three last-named authors have all quoted aspects of the original contribution by Watson, and it seems, therefore, that knowledge of the raccoon placenta has been based on Watson's early observations. The material at his disposal was, unfortunately, limited to one gravid uterus which contained but one conceptus and, as Watson states, the material was not in the best condition. Observations, in this laboratory, on four gravid uteri involving 17 conceptuses have revealed certain understandable misinterpretations and omissions in Watson's paper. Furthermore, the discovery by one of us (R. F. S. C.) of a hitherto unreported but prominent placental organ associated with the more commonly mentioned zonary placenta in the raccoon re-focuses attention on the so-called hæmatomata of the carnivore placenta.
This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution
Access options
Subscribe to this journal
Receive 51 print issues and online access
$199.00 per year
only $3.90 per issue
Buy this article
- Purchase on Springer Link
- Instant access to full article PDF
Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Watson, M., Proc. Roy. Soc., 32, 272 (1881).
Rau, A. S., Proc. Zool. Soc. Lond., B, 1027 (1925).
Mossman, H. W., Contrib. Embryol. Carneg. Inst., 26, 129 (1937).
Amoroso, E. C., Marshall's Physiology of Reproduction, edit. by Parkes, A. S., third ed., 2, 127 (Longmans, Green, London, 1952).
Wislocki, G. B., and Amoroso, E. C., Bull. Mus. Comp. Zool. Harvard, 114, No. 3 (1956).
Bischoff, T. L. W., Sitzungsb. Akad. Wissensch. Munchen, 1, 214 (1865).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
BIGGERS, J., CREED, R. Two Morphological Types of Placentæ in the Raccoon. Nature 194, 103–105 (1962). https://doi.org/10.1038/194103a0
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/194103a0
Comments
By submitting a comment you agree to abide by our Terms and Community Guidelines. If you find something abusive or that does not comply with our terms or guidelines please flag it as inappropriate.